Vote

HOW DO I GET REGISTERED TO VOTE?

WHO CAN REGISTER?

Every Jamaican citizen who possesses the following qualifications is entitled to register to vote:

Is a Jamaican citizen of eighteen years or over and resident in Jamaica or

Is a commonwealth citizen who is eighteen years of age or older and who is resident in Jamaica at the date of registration and who has been resident for at least twelve months prior to the date of registration.

Is not subjected to any legal incapacity to vote such as being of an unsound mind, convicted or under a suspended sentence.

Step 1 – Visit Constituency Office

Visit the EOJ office preferably in your constituency. Constituency offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. If you have just turned 18, you may be asked to show proof of age, so bring your birth certificate with you.

Step 2 – Personal Data Collected

At the office, the registration clerk will assist you in filling out Registration Record Card also known as the RRC. This form is used to record the elector’s demographic information, photograph, and fingerprints.

After you have filled out the application, EOJ representatives and scrutineers (political party representatives) will visit your residence at a later date to verify the address you gave. The registration process is not complete until your residence has been verified.

Step 4- Await Processing

Once your address has been verified, your application is processed. Your information is verified for accuracy and your fingerprints are cross matched to ensure there are no duplications.

Step 5- ID Card Issued

When the registration process is complete, your name is added to the voters’ list and your ID card will be issued, but only after the voters list has been published. Depending on when you register, this may be May 31 or November 30. Your voters’ ID is used as a de facto national ID (and in some cases internationally) accepted. Be sure to take it with you on Election Day.

* The law requires that registration take into account the place where you are ‘normally resident’.

This means the place where you call home and it can be proven that you live there. If you have more than one residence, you will need to indicate the one in the constituency you prefer to vote.